Monday, April 18, 2022

Security In Iraq April 8-14, 2022


Operations by both the Islamic State and pro-Iran groups increased during the second week of April. IS began its annual Ramadan offensive. It hasn’t amounted to much yet however largely due to the general decline of the group.


 

There were 7 incidents by pro-Iran groups. Convoys working for the U.S. were bombed in Babil, Dhi Qar, Diwaniya, and Salahaddin. There was also a drone strike in Dohuk, a rarity as that province hardly ever sees any violence. Finally a drone was shot down over the Ain Al-Assad base in Anbar and rockets were discovered in Baghdad. There have been 13 successful attacks by these factions in April. That compared to 12 total in March, 11 in February and 31 in January. These groups stepped back for a bit as they were focused upon forming the new government. As that process has atrophied they have gone back to hitting American, Kurdish and Turkish targets. If political talks were to pick back up these incidents will likely decline again.


 

There were 14 incidents by the Islamic State during the week. Those occurred in Anbar (3), Diyala (3), Kirkuk (6), Ninewa (1), and Salahaddin (1). The last three weeks incidents were in the single digits, but there were 14 incidents from March 8-14. The increase was due to IS’s annual Ramadan offensive. The next few weeks will show how much the group has left. It has been at its lowest level ever for the last 7 months.

 

Attacks resulted in 8 dead and 25 wounded. 1 civilian, 2 Hashd al-Shaabi and 5 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) were killed. 4 civilians, 4 Hashd and 17 ISF were also injured. Kirkuk had the most casualties with 15 during the week. Anbar, Diyala and Salahaddin were all in single digits.

 

Anbar had three incidents. One was an offensive operation when an army base in the Hit district was attacked leaving 2 soldiers dead and 1 wounded.

 

There were 3 attacks in Diyala. All were defensive with two checkpoints shot at and a shootout. All were in the Muqdadiya district in the center of the province, one of the main strongholds of the insurgency.

 

Kirkuk had the most incidents during the week. One of them was offensive when a village was attacked and two civilians kidnapped. 2 other people were killed and 6 injured.

 

2 people were kidnapped in Ninewa. That was likely for ransom.

 

Finally, during a security sweep through the Tuz Khurmato district of eastern Salahaddin an IED went off. It killed one soldier and wounded 7 more including a brigadier general.

 

Despite the overall increase in attacks only two out of 14 were offensive in nature. That was the same amount as the week before. That shows the continued weakness of the Islamic State. It is almost completely isolated to the rural, mountainous, and desert regions of Iraq. The vast majority of incidents are meant to keep civilians and the government out of its areas but it can barely do more.

 

Security Incidents In Iraq By Province

Province

Apr 1-7

Apr 8-14

Anbar

-

4/1 Pro-Iran

Babil

1

1 Pro-Iran

Baghdad

1 Pro-Iran

1 Pro-Iran

Dhi Qar

1 Pro-Iran

1 Pro-Iran

Diwaniya

-

1 Pro-Iran

Diyala

1

3

Dohuk

-

1 Pro-Iran

Irbil

1 Pro-Iran

-

Kirkuk

2

6

Muthanna

1 Pro-Iran

-

Ninewa

6/3 Pro-Iran

1

Salahaddin

2/1 Pro-Iran

2/1 Pro-Iran

TOTAL

16/8 Pro-Iran

21/7 Pro-Iran

 

Casualties In Iraq By Province

Province

Apr 1-7

Apr 8-14

Anbar

-

6 (3K, 3W)

Babil

1 (1W)

-

Diyala

-

4 (1K, 3W)

Kirkuk

-

15 (3K, 12W)

Ninewa

5 (5W)

-

Salahaddin

-

8 (1K, 7W)

TOTAL

6 (6W)

33 (8K, 25W)

 

Attacks by Pro-Iran Groups

 

February Totals 11 (3)

3/1/22

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar, Diwaniya

3/4/22

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Salahaddin

3/8/22

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar

3/13/22

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar, Diwaniya

3/15/22

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Basra, Muthanna, Salahaddin

3/18/22

Rockets – Balad Air Base, Salahaddin

3/27/22

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar

3/30/22

Rockets – Turkish army base, Ninewa

 

March Totals 12

4/3/22

Rockets – Turkish army base, Ninewa

 

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Muthanna, Salahaddin

4/4/22

Rockets – Turkish army base, Ninewa

4/5/22

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Baghdad

4/6/22

Rockets – Turkish army base, Ninewa

 

Rockets – Khabat, Irbil

4/7/22

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar

4/8/22

Drone Shot Down – Ain Al-Assad Base, Anbar

4/10/22

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar, Diwaniya, Salahaddin

 

Drone Strike - Dohuk

4/13/22

Rockets Discovered - Baghdad

4/14/22

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Babil

 

April Totals 13 (2)

 

Security In Iraq 2021-22

Week

Security

Incidents

(Total/By IS)

Dead

(Total/By IS)

Wounded

(Total/By IS)

Jan 1-7

21/2

13

19

Jan 8-14

17/3

12

6

Jan 15-21

20/3

52

133

Jan 22-28

10/3

13

12

Jan 29-31

9/1

2

6

JAN

77/13

92

176

Feb 1-7

19/2

11

23

Feb 8-14

11/3

4

8

Feb 15-21

20/7

11

23

Feb 22-28

13/4

13

23

FEB

63/16

39

77

Mar 1-7

19/5

5

8

Mar 8-14

12/2

13

15

Mar 15-21

24/6

8

7

Mar 22-28

14/2

8

13

Mar 29-31

9/5

2

1

MAR

79/20

39

44

Apr 1-7

16/10

3

5

Apr 8-14

15/6

6

18

Apr 15-21

32/4

19

44

Apr 22-28

31/6

15

42

Apr 29-30

12/1

11

23

APR

107/27

54

132

May 1-7

36/8

33

37

May 8-14

31/5

14

25

May 15-21

15/2

3

3

May 22-28

20/9

3

24

May 29-31

11

6

11

MAY

113/24

59

100

Jun 1-7

12/5

6

29

Jun 8-14

22/10

7

7

Jun 15-21

24/4

14

14

Jun 22-28

19/2

10

17

Jun 29-30

5

-

21

JUN

83/21

36

87

Jul 1-7

38/9

11

35

Jul 8-14

25/4

7

17

Jul 15-21

20/1

48

75

Jul 22-28

10/1

10

7

Jul 29-31

16/5

30

30

JUL

110/20

106

164

Aug 1-7

44/5

12

19

Aug 8-14

31/6

17

23

Aug 15-21

25/8

12

18

Aug 22-28

21/9

8

10

Aug 29-31

12/2

5

12

AUG

133/30

54

82

Sep 1-7

21/3

12

24

Sep 8-14

28/3

24

36

Sep 15-21

13/1

5

17

Sep 22-28

17/4

13

9

Sep 29-30

2

-

-

SEP

81/11

54

86

Oct 1-7

17

11

22

Oct 8-14

14/1

4

13

Oct 15-21

9/2

3

2

Oct 22-28

21/1/1

36

42

Oct 29-31

11/1

7

7

OCT

72/6/1

61

86

Nov 1-7

20/2

3

20

Nov 8-14

15/1

11

18

Nov 15-21

14/4

2

4

Nov 22-28

15/4

10

14

Nov 29-30

3/1

1

3

NOV

67/12

27

59

Dec 1-7

17/2

29

22

Dec 8-14

14/4

4

6

Dec 15-21

22/8

11

12

Dec 22-28

18/8

11

27

Dec 29-31

7/1

5

4

DEC

78/23

56

67

Jan 1-7, 2022

18/9

3

4

Jan 8-14

35/21

3

18

Jan 15-21

12/5

17

12

Jan 22-28

16/3

8

19

Jan 29-31

6/2

2

6

JAN

87/41

33

59

Feb 1-7

11/3

1

10

Feb 8-14

14/6

8

3

Feb 15-21

9/1

-

11

Feb 22-28

8/4

1

5

FEB

42/14

10

29

Mar 1-7

7/3

1

-

Mar 8-14

18/3/1

6

5

Mar 15-21

10/4

5

6

Mar 22-28

6/1

7

4

Mar 29-31

4/1

-

5

MAR

46/12/1

19

21

Apr 1-7

16/8

-

6

Apr 8-14

21/7

8

25

 

Violence By Province Apr 8-14, 2022

Province

Violence

2018 Avg

2019 Avg

2020 Avg

2021 Avg

2022 Avg

Anbar

4/1 Pro-Iran Incidents

3 Killed

1 Hashd

2 ISF

3 Wounded

1 ISF

2 Hashd

 

1 Shooting

12.6 incidents/

month

8.6 incidents/ month

7.0 incidents/ month

4.6 incidents/ month

2.0 incidents/month

Babil

1 Pro-Iran Incident

 

1 IED

4.0 incidents/month

3.0 incidents/month

2.75 incidents/month

2.5 incidents/month

1.6 incidents/month

Baghdad

1 Pro-Iran Incident

 

1 Rockets Found

33.0 incidents/month

11.6 incidents/month

7.3 incidents/month

5.6 incidents/ month

2.0 incidents/month

Dhi Qar

1 Pro-Iran Incident

 

1 IED

 

 

 

 

 

Diwaniya

1 Pro-Iran Incident

 

1 IED

 

 

 

 

 

Diyala

3 Incidents

1 Killed

1 ISF

3 Wounded

3 ISF

 

3 Shootings

34.5 incidents/month

30.0 incidents/month

30.6 incidents/month

23.2 incidents/month

11.0 incidents/month

Dohuk

1 Pro-Iran Incident

 

1 Drone

 

 

 

 

 

Kirkuk

6 Incidents

3 Killed

1 Civilian

1 Hashd

1 ISF

12 Wounded

2 Hashd

4 Civilians

6 ISF

 

4 Shootings

2 IEDs

36.5 incidents/month

18.6 incidents/month

13.9 incidents/month

11.6 incidents/month

7.3 Incidents/month

Ninewa

1 Incident

20.0 incidents/month

14.0 incidents/month

10.6 incidents/month

8.4 incidents/month

7.0 incidents/month

Salahaddin

2/1 Pro-Iran Incidents

1 Killed

1 ISF

7 Wounded

7 ISF

 

2 IEDs

21.7 incidents/month

10.6 incidents/month

11.2 incidents/month

11.5 incidents/month

4.3 incidents/month

 

SOURCES

 

Bas News, "Bomb Blast Kills, Injures Three Shia Militiamen in Western Iraq," 4/9/22

- "IS Attacks Iraqi Forces in Diyala," 4/11/22

- "IS Kidnaps Two Shepherds in Disputed Kurdish Town of Makhmour," 4/9/22

-"Six Iraqi Soldiers Injured by IED Explosion," 4/14/22

 

Iraq Oil Report, "Attack hits near Kurdistan's export pipeline," 4/12/22

 

Al Masalah, "The Iraqi army thwarted an attack with Katyusha rockets against vital installations in Baghdad," 4/13/22

 

NINA, "Federal Police thwarts ISIS infiltration south of Kirkuk," 4/9/22

- "A Security Member Wounded In southern Kirkuk," 4/8/22

NI-"Two members of the Federal Police were wounded in an explosion south of Kirkuk," 4/11/22

 

Shafaq News, "Clashes after ISIS attack on Diyala police," 4/14/22

- "An explosion targets a support convoy for the International Coalition near Babil Governorate," 4/15/22

- "A second explosion in less than an hour targets a support column for the International Coalition," 4/10/22

- "Targeting a logistical support convoy for the International Coalition in southern Iraq," 4/10/22

- "A terrorist attack targets a joint force of the army and the crowd in Kirkuk," 4/13/22

 

Sotaliraq, "A victim and two policemen injured in an ISIS attack in Diyala," 4/10/22

 

Al Sumaria, "The crowd mourns one of its fighters and a civilian in an ISIS attack in Kirkuk," 4/9/22

- "A double attack targeting the Ain Al-Assad base," 4/8/22

-"ISIS kidnaps a gas station worker in western Anbar," 4/8/22

 

Xinhua, "2 killed, 10 wounded in anti-terror operations in N. Iraq," 4/15/22

- "2 soldiers killed in IS attack in western Iraq," 4/9/22

 

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